126 AGRICULTURE. 



bles, like his parent, he gives us beef, tallow, &c., 

 and those of a superior kind. How important, then, 

 is it that this useful animal should be multiplied, 

 and that pains should be taken to ameliorate the 

 breed. In England and in Holland, wealth, enter- 

 prise, and philosophy have combined to exalt the 

 character of domestic animals, and the effect has 

 been to create many new, artificial, and more per- 

 fect races. These are examples we ought to fol- 

 low, and these are the countries which can best en- 

 able us to do so. 



It has, however, been found that, in temperatures 

 either very hot or very cold, the bulk of the cow is 

 diminished ; and though it is by no means verified 

 that animals secrete milk in proportion to their size, 

 still, on other accounts, the largest cows may justly 

 be considered the best. Treatment, or the quantity 

 and quality of food, has a still more decided influ- 

 ence than climate on animal growth and develop- 

 ment, and hence it is that, when the cows of Eng- 

 land, Holland, or Switzerland are transferred to pas- 

 tures less abundant or nutritive than those in which 

 they have been reared, or are otherwise put on short- 

 er allowance than that to which they have been ac- 

 customed, their qualities degenerate, and their pro- 

 geny with them. The lesson that these facts incul- 

 cate cannot, we believe, be mistaken, and will not, 

 we hope, be overlooked. 



IV. Of Sheep. 



Of the different races of sheep, we shall speak 

 only of two, those of Spain and England ; because 

 in them are best united the two great objects for 

 which this animal are reared, wool and/ood. 



The sheep of Spain, generally known under the 

 name of Merinoes, are composed of two classes, the 

 travelling and the stationary. The former of these 

 is ag^in divided into two distinct races, called the 

 Leonese and the Sorian ; while the latter, composed 

 of a number of degenerate breeds, are denominated 



